·        Wild tigers all over the world are highly endangered. In spite of efforts by National Governments both individually and through multilateral agreements such as CITES and through Organizations such as IUCN over the last 30 years, the tiger still remains highly threatened. Even though some stability of tiger population has been reached in southern Asia, its population is still declining in other regions, and has now reached critical situations in 4 of the 14 tiger range states. Habitat degradation, declining preybase, ongoing international illegal trade in tiger parts and derivatives and lack of public support for conservation still remain as major issues threatening the future of tiger. This is very serious situation, not only because of the status of the tiger itself but also because the well-being of the tiger is an indicator of the well-being of the whole ecosystem, which in turn has global implications.

• The 3^rd General Assembly of GTF assembled at Hanoi – Vietnam, therefore took a unanimous decision to appeal to the seven tiger range states who are still not members of GTF to join it with a view to reinforcing the Forum’s efforts to save the tiger in the wild, and to request non-tiger range counties, inter-governmental bodies, international organizations and NGOs interested in conservation to provide support and join the GTF to promote this noble cause.

(Adopted by consensus in the 3^rd General Assembly of GTF at Hanoi, Vietnam on 27^th December, 2004.)